WRITER: Austin Hornbostel

Douglas County leaders will again consider $1.2M reimbursement request from nonprofit originally formed to run crisis center

For the second time in as many months, the Douglas County Commission will consider a more than $1 million reimbursement request from the nonprofit that was formed to run Douglas County’s new behavioral health crisis center. County leaders will consider the request from Behavioral Health Partners Inc., a nonprofit LMH Health and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center created with the intent of operating the ...

As county Homeless Services Coordinator, lifelong Lawrence resident hopes to help agencies gather better data, find more funding opportunities

If Douglas County agencies want more money to address homelessness, they'll need to apply for more grants — and that will require them to collect more and better data. That's what Kristen Egan has been emphasizing since she began serving as Douglas County's Homeless Services Coordinator at the beginning of May. Not to be confused with the City of Lawrence’s homeless programs coordinator, the county ...

Parks and Rec leader says early diagnosis from ecological experts on the health of herbicide-sprayed prairie remnant is 'encouraging'

It’s been about a month and a half since Lawrence Parks and Recreation staff erroneously sprayed herbicide across the five-acre native prairie remnant behind Prairie Park Nature Center. Now, the department’s working with ecological experts to properly assess the damage. As the Journal-World reported, city employees failed to spot-spray the prairie remnant — an area of native prairie that hasn’t been ...

‘Puppy Pumps’ at Lawrence BP station offer a new way to give back to Lawrence Humane Society

There’s been a subtle change at the BP gas station at 3020 Iowa St., but it’s one that could ultimately have a much more noticeable impact for the Lawrence Humane Society. Since June 1, pumps 11 and 12 at the gas station have been converted into “Puppy Pumps” in partnership with the Humane Society. They’re the first of their kind in Lawrence, and a portion of their sales — two cents per gallon ...

At first public meeting about Open Space Plan development process, community members say they want financial challenges of conservation addressed

Community members shared their thoughts Thursday evening on the future of Douglas County’s natural, undeveloped lands, and some of their key concerns revolved around the financial challenges that come with conservation. The group gathered at the Lawrence Public Library to weigh in on priorities as the county develops an Open Space Plan. When that plan is eventually implemented, it will act as a broad policy ...

'A very pleasant surprise': Lawrence songwriting duo takes home top honors in Texas folk festival

Entering the Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, Texas, was a first for Lawrence songwriting duo Byron James and Rita Beyer. But the pair didn’t just participate — they went and won the whole thing. James and Beyer’s entries — a pair of songs titled “Rodeo Clown” and “Aliens” — were chosen late last month as one of six ...